The Day the World Stopped
by Nashdude
Summary: This story was an assignment from one of the writing guilds that I'm a member of, to write a story based on my take on the above title. It is written entirely in monologue, as heard from the second party's perspective, and one of my more unique ideas.


Oh, my word! How interesting, how very interesting. A visitor! On my street! What a wonderful thing! Haven't entertained a visitor since... oh, since this morning. Fancy that.

No, no, no! Don't get up on my account. Give yourself a moment to adjust.

Hehehe... I said "moment"... how very funny... I simply must put that one in my journal.

My journal? Oh yes, this is mine. I write everything in it. What I see, what I think, what I feel... anything and everything that comes to mind. I've been keeping them since this morning. They are a constant source of entertainment for me.

Yes, "they". What, did you think this one was the only one? No, no, no, my dear child. This is only the one I am currently writing in. Some others are in that stack over there.

Yes, that stack, the one on my porch. There's one just like it on the inside of the front door. Oh, and I mustn't forget the piles in the master bedroom and the guest room...

Oh, dear, how silly of me! Where are my manners? I am Emmitt Rhodes, of Pineshear Lane. Perhaps you read of me in Parascience Digest? I was up for the Hawking Award in 2006 for my theories of temporal displacement.

Yes, yes, the very one! In fact, I _did_ finish my machine. It's in my basement this very moment, churning away... churning away...

Where are you, did you say? How funny... how very funny... Perhaps a better question is _when_ are you. And the answer is very simple... right now!

No, no, no, my child, pay attention. This is now... and this is now... and this is now also! We are between moments, child! No, seriously! Place your hand on your heart, if you don't believe me.

What do you feel? Oh, now, don't be shy. Tell ol' Emmitt what you feel? Nothing, did you say? Of course you feel nothing! There is nothing to feel! We are between moments, you and I. Your heart does not beat because time is not passing! Not for the world around us, and not for us either!

Impossible? Bah! It's like... like... Oh, I can't explain it to you, but I assure you, it is very possible. I imagine you got a bit too close to my house, got caught in the temporal displacement field. That's how you wound up here with me.

Oh, my, no! No, this has never happened before, and I can't quite say I'm surprised, either. All the parents on the block tell their children that I'm the "old kook with the strange look in his eyes." Strange! Can you imagine?

Hehehe...

How long have I been like this? Oh, since this morning, I imagine. Since I started my machine up.

Oh, you should have seen it! What a sight it was! Lights lighting and whirlies whirling... All I had to do was flip a switch! And the displacement field formed quickly, too! Why, as soon as I flipped the switch, I turned my eyes toward the window to watch what happened, and what do you expect I saw? A hummingbird! Yes, yes, a hummingbird, hovering near my azalea bushes! But oh, how slowly its wings were flapping! I could see every stroke. Well, that is, until they stopped flapping altogether. Displacement effect, you see. Look, here it is right here in my pocket...

No, of course it's not dead! How could you say such a thing! No, see, we are outside of time, but the hummingbird is not. That is why it appears frozen.

Well, yes, I suppose if I turned the machine off, it would be plenty alright. Not a feather disturbed. But why would I want to do that? With the machine running, I will live forever! That's what it was designed for. And now that you're here as well, you will too!

What?!? You want to leave? But why? Please don't go. It has been so long since I've had company. I'd almost forgotten how wonderful it could be to speak with another human being. I'm sure I wrote about that in my journals somewhere...

Well, yes, there have been times that I found this condition too lonely to bear, if you must know. To be able to speak with another living soul, to hear them speak back... I came to realize that truly, human companionship really was worth giving up immortality for.

Yes, I admit it. I did try to turn my machine off. But being itself caught within the temporal displacement field, I couldn't turn it off. Couldn't affect its operation in the slightest. I tried everything... hammer, galvanized pipe, axe... nothing worked on it. How frustrating it was!

But if I couldn't destroy the machine, then could I not affect anything else in the world? Oh, I tried, I tried... cars, plants, people, nothing was safe from my experiment! Of course, nothing was affected. Even when I took the axe to that pedestrian over there...

Well, yes, he has a gaping hole in his forehead, but it doesn't bleed, you see? He still stands there, just as temporally defiant as any other object in the world. I haven't killed him, or any of the others, because this moment will never end! Never end! Never...

Oh my, almost lost control again. I hate when that happens. I simply must write it down in my journals, if only to remind myself to remain calm...

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I did try suicide. Several times. But do you realize how hard it is to chop off your own head? No? Oh, no matter.

That's perhaps the one thing I haven't tried, but I tried everything else... jumping off the Main Street bridge, impaling myself on a fence post (Holy Smokes, did that ever hurt!), stabbing myself... See? That is where I got this hole in my chest right here. No, not that one... that long one was a stop sign from when I leapt from the top of Liberty Mutual downtown. I can't tell you how difficult it was to pull myself off of that post. Had I been just a few more inches to the left, it would have taken off my head. I bet that would have done the trick...

Say, you know what? I bet it would work on you! Why, I can get a good swing from this angle, and if it works for you, then it might---

Hey, wait! Where are you going? I'm sure this won't hurt much. And if it works, I can finally put an end to all this!

NO! Stay right there---well, on second thought, yes, please run. It will make this that much more fun! And we have all day to play! Why, we have all the time in the world! Hang on, let me get my axe. It's just inside the doorway. I won't be a moment...

Hehehe... I said "moment" again... definitely have to write that one down...


End file.
